[6] He spent the next four years playing for the Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey team, serving as co-captain during his final season.

[7] Sawada made his NHL debut on February 19, 2009, his 24th birthday, scoring a goal in Dallas's 4–2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

[9][10] Sawada began the 2013–14 professional ice hockey season with the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL, waiting for another NHL contract.

[11] After winning a silver medal with Tappara, Sawada signed a one-year contract with the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League for the 2014–15 season.

[13] After retiring from professional ice hockey in 2016, Sawada became a firefighter in Burnaby, British Columbia,[14] and he lived in Richmond with his wife Nicole and their two daughters.